IT offshoring growing

But Canada can find a niche role to play

By Shannon Klie

10/22/2007|Canadian HR Reporter|Last Updated: 10/19/2007

Information and communication technology (ICT) outsourcing is growing in Canada and businesses are also becoming more comfortable with offshoring, which is a good thing for Canada’s ICT field, according to the president of the Information and Communication Technology Council (ICTC).

The ICTC predicts the industry will need 89,000 new workers over the next four years to replace retiring workers and keep up with growth, a need that far surpasses Canada’s supply, said Paul Swinwood, president of Ottawa-based ICTC.

“Outsourcing and offshoring is the only way that we’re going to be able to do some of this work because we just don’t have enough people here to do it all,” he said.